going global, blog-wise

I had been wondering what the big deal was about Aug. 31, and after putting two and two together, I realized it's Blog Day 2005 -- a day someone decided would be the day to expand our blog horizons. "We want to read more blogs! Tell us about five new ones!" I read somewhere. Good thing, as I had been wracking my brain for something to write about, and nothing has come up. And since I'd been spending a good amount of time zooming through blog rolls, here are some that I've decided to bookmark and which I urge you to check out. I tried to make it global, the better to widen our horizons:

Chocolate & Zucchini. Blogger is a twentysomething French girl who shares her gastronomic expertise from the City of Lights. Besides lots of recipes, cooking tips and little-known facts woven into her posts, the photos will tickle your tastebuds as well.

Secret Agent Josephine. Agent Josephine is a lady from somewhere (I couldn't find a profile); besides that, I know nothing about her, except that she's taking on other secret agents who apply for her team. Quirky design and loads of colorful pics give the blog more oomph.

Universal soldier. He's a member of the British Army who's currently assigned in Northern Ireland. Laces accounts from the trenches and leisurely trips to the pub with humor. You can get a bit of history, too, from occasional references he makes.

Testosterhome. The subtitle says it all: "Encounters with boys: Musings from a writer with four young sons." A domestic goddess who writes about her days in Georgia, USA -- and since the kids are a big part of her daily adventures, there's a lot of funny stuff in there.

A family in Baghdad. I'm still perusing this, albeit with a grain of salt. It contains the diaries of an Iraqi mother and her three kids (the dad's not interested, so it says). I saw three bilingual posts already (English post first, then what looks like the Arabic translation follows).

Hope these blogs serve as your window to the world.